Chicken restaurant Popeyes to expand in China

23-Jul-2019 - Last updated on 23-Jul-2019 at 19:35 GMT

Popeyes has outlined massive expansion plans for China

Poultry restaurant Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen Inc. (Popeyes) has announced a new agreement to develop and open more than 1,500 Popeyes restaurants in the People’s Republic of China over the next 10 years.

Popeyes currently operates over 3,100 locations in more than 25 countries worldwide, including the United States and Canada. Parent company Restaurant Brands International (RBI) already has a presence in China via its Burger King and Tim Hortons brands.

“We’re very excited to grow the Popeyes brand in the Chinese market,” said Josh Kobza, chief operating officer of RBI. “We look forward to bringing our great tasting chicken, biscuits, sides and beautiful new restaurants to our guests in China with our partner, TFI TAB Food Investments (TFI).”

Vice chairman and CEO of TFI Korhan Kurdoğlu added: “We are proud to bring this famous brand to China and we look forward to introducing its bold new flavors to our guest. We plan to build on years of experience of growing successful businesses in China and around the world.”

In May RBI announced that Popeyes was to enter the Spanish market via its domestic master franchise partner Restaurant Brands Iberia.

China has been the target of the meat industry for some time now with New Zealand recently reporting a growth in demand from the region. The current African Swine Fever situation in China has also led to a massive switch from pork to poultry in recent months.